The following discussion of the prior art is intended to place the invention in an appropriate technical context and enable the associated advantages to be fully understood. However, any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should not be considered as an admission that such art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.
Currently in the automotive exhaust industry, there are only a few options available for exhaust systems on vehicles.
One option is the standard exhaust system utilising a standard muffler. This system provides a medium amount of backpressure to the engine and sufficient amount of sound reduction in order for the motor vehicle to satisfy relevant noise emission regulations. However, it is known for this type of exhaust system to restrict the engine's efficiency at higher engine speeds and consequently may be restrictive during performance driving.
Another type of exhaust system available is the performance exhaust system. In this system a performance muffler is used to provide minimal backpressure and sound reduction. Therefore these types of systems are ideal for internal combustion engines operating at higher engine speeds. Vehicles with this type of muffler are predominantly used in performance driving or racing and are typically considerably louder than standard exhausts. This in turn, limits their drivability on public roads.
In order to have the benefits of both the abovementioned systems, it is known to have both the standard and performance muffler installed on a single motor vehicle. In such an arrangement, the exhaust piping from the engine is split into two separate steams, which in turn are connected to each of the mufflers. Typically, a selectable control valve is installed at the split junction to control exhaust gas flow to both mufflers.
Whilst this arrangement provides the benefits of both systems, it requires a significant amount of specialist installation and therefore, may be a relatively expensive option. Moreover, since many newer vehicles are designed with smoother under vehicle area to reduce aerodynamic drag, space under the vehicle is limited and therefore such systems are generally not suitable simply because there is not enough space available.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.
It is an object of a preferred form of the invention to provide a relatively inexpensive to install exhaust system that affords the benefits of both a standard and performance exhaust system, whilst generally occupying the same space as a standard system.